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ofswordsandpens · 3 months

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Finale Thoughts

The show stuck the ending far better than I thought it would and when compared to the preceding episodes it knocks it out of the park. That being said, I think because the bar was so low going in, that it makes this episode feel spectacular when really every episode should have done this well, at minimum.

Solo Lessons and Ares Battle

I'm so happy they included the one-on-one training sessions with Luke since its so essential to foreshadowing. I also liked the setting in the woods but why was it like autumn/fall in the flashback lol? However, I think that did unintentionally add a dreamlike quality to the scene which I did really like so whatever I'm here for it.

That being said I do wish these scenes were in episode 2/3 alongside the other chb stuff instead of being a flashback in the finale because it makes it just so on the nose that Luke's the traitor. However, the shot panning from Luke's extended sword to Percy's on the beach ate I can't lie.

Honestly it may have been interesting if they had established some of the solo lessons early on in episode 3 and then done periodic flashbacks to expand on them throughout the series. That way, its not so obvious that Luke's the traitor in the final hour and we also get cool transition shots and establishing that Percy is thinking about what he's learned from his lessons with Luke.

#Relieved that the Ares and Percy fight was not a single sword strike and then cut to black. Glad we had some action. Still think we should've pushed the limits much harder tho.

Oh but Percy's wave did go hard. They actually made the wave much bigger than what happened in the book and now I'm just sitting here wondering why we couldn't see some more of this instead of 10,000 cut to black scenes every time Percy uses his powers.

I wish we had gotten this Ares's reaction from the book when he lost: "The roar that followed made Hades’s earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide." Show Ares's reaction seemed so anticlimactic in comparison.

And no curse???? huh??

I know Ares was like "we're enemies 4 life now" but the curse and dialogue from the book goes so unbelievably hard: “You have made an enemy, godling. You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware.”

Why couldn't show Ares say that??

Olympus, Zeus, & Poseidon

[Insert aw, she's ugly John Mulaney Meme]

sorry Olympus could've should've been prettier.

Like Olympus in the book felt a lot more wondrous and lush and colorful. But in the show it seemed so dull. Idk if its cause the "war's happening" or whatever it was just bland. a wash of dull-looking cgi and then an instant cut to the Big Palace.

Lance Reddick's Zeus was amazing tho. He had that godly presence I've been waiting for.

And Toby Stephens's Poseidon? oh I loved it.

I especially loved their conversation in greek.

I still wish however they would have done effects on the gods' eyes. Like glowing with energy or something when they get emotional. I felt like I was waiting to see electricity burst from Zeus when he was yelling at Percy.

And so it turns out that the reason why they changed it to Percy missing the deadline in the show was to create a situation in which Poseidon surrenders a war for his son.

And listen, if this scene existed in a vacuum I'd be so here for it. I guess a part of me can't fathom the solstice being anything other than a hard deadline. I enjoy the scene without context, within context I have mixed feelings about it.

But the "do you dream?" convo between Percy and Poseidon. Oh my god no notes. I loved it.

Some more book dialogue that I wish made it: “You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.”

Luke's Betrayal

Okay here's where we get some high highs and low lows.

Some things I sincerely liked:

The setting. Fireworks going off in the background. The lantern illuminating the side of Luke's face with the scar. So visually nice.

Luke actively trying to recruit Percy! I've always joked that if Luke was just a little smarter he would have tried to persuade Percy to join his side rather than immediately kill him. And I do like that the show went this direction.

While I do mourn the loss of the scorpion them battling via swords is a great subversion of the sword mentor/mentee dynamic they share. It makes the scene tense and fast pace.

And its all of the above that makes me wonder why we didn't have more of this throughout the show: talking while battling, visually appealing and dynamic settings, unique visuals, etc.

I love how triggered Luke was at Percy's mention of meeting Hermes. I still hate how much Hermes introduction bogged down the show but damn if it didn't lead to one singular funny moment.

Percy getting a hit in on Luke and then immediately apologizing

"I didn't think you'd give the shoes to Grover." Oh that was cold.

Walker and Charlie deserve their flowers and more they were fantastic and carried.

Now things I DIDN'T like:

I don't like how Percy pieced it together with the information he did have... which honestly isn't a lot in the show? If he was going to figure out that Luke was the traitor I would've have had Luke show more of his bitterness like he did in the book. Like the fact the show never even mentioned Luke's failed his quest loses the entire element of Percy succeeding an "impossible" quest and being celebrated while Luke only got a scar and a chip on his shoulder from his failed one.

Luke's scar shoulda been worse idc.

Percy should have been mortally wounded. That's where we run into an issue with there being no scorpion because yeah, a fatal sword injury probably would've been a bit much to depict. I also 10000% think that Luke is enough of a baby to get his daddy issues triggered and then try to off Percy for it even if his original intention was to recruit him.

Also the fact that you see Luke raise his sword for a damning blow and then the very next day you have Percy like "I don't think Luke was trying to kill me." and Chiron agreeing? asdlkfjsdlkf WRONG.

Also, sorry, I don't like that Annabeth was there.

But if you're gonna have Annabeth there, her reaction to Luke betraying her and trying to hurt Percy should've been way more severe than a solemn "I heard everything."

She shoulda been crying, questioning, yelling even if she had suspected him. It's one thing to suspect it, it's another to see the person you consider your family to actually prove it true.

(And this isn't on Leah! It's 100% on the directors cause what was the thought process here? Her brother figure betrays her and she's like :/)

And sure, in the book Annabeth isn't actually all that surprised by Luke's betrayal when Percy tells her about it... but we also never got to see her initial reaction to it. Percy was out for 2 days.

Just, if book Annabeth had been there, she would've been so emotional and that's okay!! let Leah show off her chops!

Sally

I mourn book Sally. I mourn her arc. I mourn the power of Sally unapologetically petrifying Gabe with Medusa's head.

One of the most iconic storylines from the book and it was sanitized in the show to the point that it lost all sense and meaning.

Honestly one of the biggest disappointments of the show for me.

Other

I love the fact that a flower is the searcher's license for satyrs its just so silly and sweet.

I love Annabeth sincerely hugging Percy but also using it for strategizing purposes it feels very on point for her.

Also her braids at the end!! so sweet!

I am very very bitter that Percy didn't see the fates. This + the changes made to Sally's characterization and arc... the show truly doesn't get it.

#pjo show crit #probably need to edit this its likely riddled with typos but

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serendipityandbenevolence · 1 year

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Couldn't find any fatui x reader SAGAU so I wrote what I wanted to read. It's a tough gig, but someone has to do it. Also yes, I know my sentences are too long

Contains - Mentions of blood (yay), me pretending like scara is still part of the fatui and la signora isn't dead, a good part of this is just you monologuing about how you're going to die (spoilers: you don't) no gold blood (sorry guys) also gn reader

With every labored breath that fell from your lips, you became more certain that this was where you would die. Not in a comfortable bed, surrounded by family to hold you gently as you slipped on, but alone and scared in a foreign land. You traced patterns on the snow that you lay upon, the only movement you could force yourself to do since you collapsed into that very snow hours prior. Part of you said it was the cold that had brought you to your knees, the other, more rational, part said that is was the gaping wound in your side and the heavy trail of red that you had sloppily painted the pristine landscape with.

You could not recall who dealt that blow to you. There were too many bows, swords, spears, that had rained down upon you to tell whose had cut you. And you hadn't looked. You didn't want to know, of those who you had adored through a screen, had performed the killing blow. It was a miracle that you had escaped. Perhaps it was a blessing from the god whose face you had unwittingly stolen, to give you the chance to fade away gently before they could inflict more pain to you.

But as soon as the thought of a peaceful end crossed your mind, you heard it. At first, you could pretend it was merely the howling wind that swirled above, but as the noises got louder, your brain was forced to recognize them as they were: voices. A single tear slid down your cheek as you lay motionless, the last tear you would shed for yourself.

"-they get this far? With the amount of blood they've lost, surely they must be de-"

"Shh! Don't even speak the words! The death of a god would not go unpunished and I do not delight in the thought of what punishment would be in store for us, so please, refrain from such-"

"Over there!"

The hands that grabbed you almost seemed to burn, their gentle warmth scorching your frost-ridden skin. Panicked voices swirled around you, words disappearing from your mind as soon as they are spoken. The only thing you truly hear, as the darkness surrounds you, was the frantic yell for a healer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were warm. A rather bland, yet incomprehensible feeling considering the few days you had just had. However, as you forced your eyes open, the reason for your warmth became clear. Gone was the infinite snowy landscape, replaced with a truly massive bedroom and a crackling fire that provided your only light aside from the slightly ajar double doors and the sliver of light they let through. And the bed that you lay upon, which seemed far too spacious for even two people rest in, was piled high with furs and blankets. You wondered whether the person who had made this bed for you had simply taken every blanket they could find and thrown them upon you in the hopes that it would keep you warm.

"Liyue had extended their sincere apology for the treatment of the Divine One, but we are yet to hear anything from Inazuma."

The voice that snaked its way into your room was firm and professional, but with a sharp venom lacing every word, especially the nations that they named. The next voice in comparison made no effort to conceal its vicious hatred, anger seeping out of every letter.

"Not even a letter. How disgraceful. I expected nothing less from a nation that cannot even know its creator when they see them, but somehow, they still disappoint me."

Quite a few murmurs of agreement surrounded that statement, revealing truly how many people stood outside your room, before the first voice responded.

"You would think, Capitano, that such devout worshippers would have a good set of working eyes, however-"

You did not hear beyond that. That name, it told you everything about where you had found yourself and the nature of those voices whispering in the hallway.

The Harbingers.

You almost had to laugh, that your sworn enemies within the narrative were the ones to be providing you shelter after your 'allies' had turned against you. But instead of a laugh, a name fell from your lips, louder then intended, causing the voices outside to hush.

The name of the person you wished to see and, if you were being honest with yourself, your favorite Harbinger.

Now the only question is... who was it?

Pierro

Dottore

Columbina

Scaramouche

Sandrone

Signora

Pantalone

Tartaglia

Capitano

Arlecchino

Anyway, I'll write their lil pathways when i have the energy but hey, if you're reading this, if you want to comment which one you want first, i might listen

#genshin sagau #genshin x reader #yandere genshin #genshin impact #fatui harbingers #fatui x reader

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eyesteeth · 10 months

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my thoughts and theories on fionna and cake

so from the trailer alone i’m pretty sure this is going to be very Simon-centric. as established in the main series, Fionna and Cake is genderbend fanfiction written by Ice King. however, it seems likely that the Fionna and Cake focused on in this series will not be the one within Simon’s mind - not fully, anyway.

i initially believed that the Fionna and Cake we see in this series would be entirely figments of Simon's imagination - fanfiction used as a coping mechanism. Fionna's world is realistic and bland and mundane because Simon's "lost the magic in his life", and Fionna's world gaining magic would be a sign of changes in his mental state.

i no longer believe this because i took too many screenshots of the trailer. however, i do think that the Fionna and Cake of Simon's mind will be relevant, and Fionna's world mirroring Simon's is an intentional comparison.

my take is this - Fionna and Cake is going to have an overarching a-plot of Fionna figuring out what's gone wrong with her world and defeating the threat, and a b-plot of Simon facing his mortality and his trauma and coming to terms with both.

that's my tl;dr. long post below.

Simon’s a character with a lot of depth to him, but none of the Distant Lands specials focused on him, so it’s his turn to hold the Trauma Ball. we know that he isn’t immortal anymore with the crown gone. he’s visibly aged in the trailer, growing some white hair, and is wrinklier.

(Tom Kenny also said in an interview that this is the most emotional thing he’s worked on, and Tom Kenny’s been in fucking everything, so you know it’s gonna be big. i cannot for the life of me find the source for this so you're gonna have to trust me on this one.)

aging is clearly gonna fuck Simon up for multiple reasons - beyond the normal stuff, aging means he's going to look like Ice King, making himself a visual reminder of the worst time of his life. he also spent a very long time as an immortal, and adjusting to the idea of death after centuries of being the same age is probably gonna fuck with him.

he’ll also be dwelling on his past - there’s shots in the trailer of him and Marcy together right after the Mushroom War, likely filling in some gaps from that time. we already got a whole episode dedicated to their time together in the main series, so there's no need to tread that ground again - this will likely show new moments with them or recontextualize things with the state Simon's in now.

(there's also a shot of both of their feet but i couldn't fit both sets of shoes on one frame)

then there’s a shot of what’s very obviously a musical number from the in-between state of Simon and Ice King. this could be the first time he puts on the crown (or an early time), resulting a darkly upbeat moment of juxtaposition, or it could be an equally dark current-day moment along the lines of “wasn’t it so nice when you had the crown on and you didn’t have to think about anything? when you were immortal and too out of it to realize how bad of a spot you were in?”

or it could be a secret third thing. keep this image in mind, it'll be relevant later.

as for some miscellaneous screenshots, takes these two:

Simon's coat is missing in the first but he still has it in the second, so either he goes on two separate adventures in Ooo, or the first image takes place after the second. i stand by this being Ooo in the first image because of the trees in the background. as for the second image, that's Finn in the top right, and the treehouse on the left. because of how old Finn looks in the big promo image, i assume this takes place between Obsidian and Together Forever - Jake is dead but Finn is not. Finn and Simon might have a talk about death and dying if the mortality thing gets brought up, or Finn might just be here to help Simon get where he needs to go.

to where they are going, one can only speculate. it might be Prismo's cube, but i'm a little iffy on that. the cube is massively relevant by the way and is likely how Fionna and Cake end up crossing paths with Simon.

because Prismo's whole deal is alternate universes (gestures at Farmworld Finn) i believe that this is how Fionna and Cake come to Ooo. Prismo's cube is even in the logo for this show, it's that important.

(Simon is no stranger to Prismo, we got the above moment in the Adventure Time finale, so him traveling to Prismo with Finn's help is a possibility.)

anyway, time for the people the show is actually named about!

for their side of the plotline, the description of the trailer is quite enlightening:

"Based on characters from the beloved “Adventure Time” franchise, this brand-new 10-episode series set in the land of Ooo follows the alternate universe versions of Finn & Jake on a multiverse-hopping journey towards self-discovery. When Fionna and her sidekick Cake find themselves in the crosshairs of a powerful new foe, they have no choice but to seek the help of former Ice King Simon Petrikov." (emphasis mine)

notably, they are referred to explicitly as alternate universe versions, so they are indeed their own people. i also find it curious that Fionna's life is somehow mundane enough to lack magic, yet wacky enough to have a "powerful new foe". unless that something is actively sucking the magic out of their universe, this particular foe is a mystery to me.

however, because multiverse hopping is mentioned, i believe that the big foe is gonna have ~some weirdness~ about it, possibly attacking universe after universe for its intended goal ala [insert your preferred bagel-based multiverse movie here]. i'd also like to present the following screencaps to the court:

the use of line color, color choice, and shading in between the two on the left and the two on the right are like night and day. so, given the multiverse theme, i propose that these are two different Fionnas - the Fionna and Cake as presented by Simon on the left, and the real magicless Fionna from her universe on the right. alternatively, the one on the left could be Fionna after she comes to Ooo, and she just gets a costume change.

(also, the musical number shot has coloring similar to the set on the right, potentially indicating that scene takes place in the same location/episode/universe/etc as those shots. this is the third secret thing.)

(also also, this is probably way too off the wall to be true, but the ones on the right look incredibly similar to Bee and Puppycat in terms of color, and given that Natasha Allegri is responsible for both Bee and Puppycat and the creation of Fionna, this series could get into ideas of creation, using Simon's Fionna vs the real Fionna as an allegory somehow. i will be shocked if this happens, i think it's just visual flair tbh, i just wanted to get this thought out of my brain)

if this wasn't a spotty post before here's where it gets Real Spotty:

i believe this is Fionna in Ooo, she's in a bunny hat and she's with a kid in Finn's clothes. i believe this is Ooo because of the fire people at the bottom. Fionna is also still wearing the outfit she had on in the bus in the beginning of the trailer, leading me to believe that she gets to Ooo after that set of scenes.

i further believe this is Ooo, because we see the same kid in this shot. that's Simon's leg on the right, muddied up, so this could be after his adventure with Finn. on the left is the Fionna and Cake script in the bin, this being the Fionna and Cake Simon came up with. my guess is that this kid is a fan of the Fionna and Cake Simon came up with and this outfit is a cosplay. maybe he published his fanfiction. good for him.

as for the city behind the closing door...

... maybe it could be this? i'm not sure if this city is on Ooo, frankly. the trees are different. maybe Fionna, Simon, and this kid all went to an alt universe together by accident? and that's why the kid looks so distraught in the shot with the bin?

for my last image-based comment, simon's sleeve has been torn off here (bottom of his-right-our-left arm) so it's possible that whatever muddied his pants in the bin shot also got his coat messed up, possibly his adventure with Finn.

to recap this meandering post

here's an extremely weak guess of plot points from the previously proposed concepts

Fionna lives a normal, bland life, realizes something is wrong, and ends up in Ooo over the course of a day. within this day, she does her job on the bus, sees something's up with Cake, experiences some dimension weirdness, chases Cake at some point, her and Cake end up falling, and then it's Ooo time.

in Ooo, she meets a kid that's a fan of Fionna and Cake - from the stories Simon wrote and published.

Fionna decides she needs Simon's help, possibly because he's apparently written books about her, so they go to get him

meanwhile, Simon's had a bad mental health day and is spiraling.

he ends up in the woods with Finn for some reason, possibly to death talk, and they have an adventure that takes the length of the day. by the end of it, Simon's clothes are torn up and he just wants to go home.

he goes home and sits down for like A Minute before Fionna and the kid show up at his place.

(there is no evidence for this but i feel like seeing the character you made up in your genderbend fanfic irl would be freaky so Simon's like "wow i've fucking lost it i'm hallucinating my oc")

situation gets explained to a very non-receptive Simon

the three/four of them head off onto a multiversal quest with widely varying levels of enthusiasm

over the course of the quest shenanigans ensue and Simon has many moments of contemplation on his past and future

Fionna gets the situation with her home universe figured out

You Will Cry Your Eyes Out

the end

that's all i got. feel free to go crazy in the notes.

#long post #not joking it took over 2 hours to get all this down #adventure time #fionna and cake #adventure time fionna and cake #analysis

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guess-my-next-obsession · 5 months

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Starlight, Chapter One:

pairing: fae!ezra prospect x princess!oc (Marigold)

rating: M (series is 18+ only, arranged marriage, fantasy elements, talks of potential violence, vague and brief mentions of su!c!de, Ezra is a charmer and definitely written OOC to suit my fantasy needs but there are canon elements incorporated)

wc: 7k

series masterlist

I arrived in Nox, the land of eternal midnight, one week after climbing into my father’s gold-plated carriage.

The ride was long and grueling, my back and rear feeling the brunt of the effects of such a rough journey. But even in my soreness and desperation for my plush mattress back home and the smell of gardenia wafting in through my open windows, I refused to complain to my father’s guards for a break. In fact, I refused to utter a single word as we rolled through the snowy forest just north of Heims and just south of Nox. The darkness had already begun to creep upon us, so slowly I hadn’t even noticed until it was pitch black outside.

“Welcome to Nox, Princess,” one my father’s guards announced with a sly smirk, his eyes fixed on my profile as I pressed my face to the window of the carriage, my eyes wide and jaw slack as I watched the forest around us clear little by little until there was nothing but open, dark sky over top. “Amazing isn’t it?”

Whatever I had imagined stars to look like before that moment seemed insulting in comparison to its reality. Tiny little white, blue, and yellow dots of light shone like diamonds and crystals against the blue-black void around them, my heart aching in my chest at the simple beauty of it all.

“To your left is the moon,” the guard offered, drawing my attention to him for a split second before I was sliding across the carriage bench to peer out the other side. As soon as I looked up, I saw it.

It hung in the sky like a cosmic ornament, it’s gray so bland it should have bored me, but there was something about that round beacon of light that called to me. I couldn’t help the gasp that slipped past my lips as I looked to the tiny flecks of light beside it for only a split second before returning my attention to the main attraction. It seemed to calm my nerves the same way the sun did, just without the warmth.

Perhaps different didn’t always mean worse. Perhaps this new world around me—one of darkness and covered in a soft blanket of snow—would surprise me and kick dirt in the face of all of my fears.

I could only hope.

I couldn’t be certain of what time of day it was given the constant state of darkness around me, but as we rolled up to the front of the giant castle—it’s black stone and gothic design such a stark contrast from my home in Solis—I reasoned it must have been around dawn judging by the soldiers training in the east courtyard.

I watched the man supervising, his midnight blue tunic beneath a plate of black armor making him look like an imposing sight in contrast to the blanket of stark white beneath his feet. As I climbed out of the carriage with the help of one of my father’s guards, I locked eyes with the assumed-General across the hundred yards that separated us. He seemed to remember something, abruptly shouting a command at his soldiers to finish their training without him before turning on his heels to head towards the side of the castle.

I shivered at the authority in his voice, in the quickness in which he strode across the field. As if it were mere feet instead of hundreds of them.

“Welcome, Princess Marigold,” a sentry standing in front of the dark stone doors called down the brick stairs separating us, drawing my attention away from the soldiers who carried on as though the General’s eyes were still upon them.

What cruel punishments had they experienced at his hand for refusing to follow his commands?

“The King is eagerly awaiting your presence,” the sentry carried on, his eyes glancing at the guards behind me. “I’m afraid your men will have to bid you farewell here.”

I turned to the men who I’d known since I was a child, but whose names I hadn’t the slightest idea of. Still, they were people of Solis. The last I’d see for…ever, possibly.

I gave the men a bow of my head, not trusting my voice to remain strong as I wished them farewell, in turn wishing my old life farewell, too. All I could manage was, “Thank you.”

“Come, Princess,” the sentry called, growing impatient with my goodbyes, or perhaps he was just anxious over what might happen to both of us if I were to keep the King waiting too long.

The thought alone was enough to set my feet in motion.

After being led through the large entrance hall, the walls a bleak pewter stone that matched the ceiling and floor, I was led into the large throne room where the King sat waiting on his black, imposing throne upon an equally imposing dais. I took him in, his black hair perfectly quaffed, his stone gray eyes piercing me from yards away. His bone structure was impossibly sharp and symmetrical, and I couldn't help but wonder how someone so beautiful could possibly exist without the help of magic.

How stunning must his parents have been to create such a handsome, broad, masculine looking man?

I tore my eyes from him to save myself golden skin from turning pink, my focus fixing on his left.

There was a smaller, more feminine looking throne beside him that sat empty except for a midnight blue velvet pillow and a diamond crown that looked as if it was made from some of those tiny flecks in the sky.

This was to be my future seat, my crown. My stomach turned at the thought until my eyes focused on the person standing to the right of the King.

There, beside my soon-to-be husband, stood the General. With light brown skin, dark chocolate eyes, and a blonde streak in his dark, wavy head of hair, he was alarmingly handsome, even in comparison to the impossible beauty of King Kaius. But there was something other about him, something unlike myself or any person I’d ever met. I couldn’t quite tell what his position was amongst the ranks here, General or advisor, but judging by his armor and the blade he wore at his side, I decided I didn’t want to risk pissing him off to find out.

As if he could sense my curiosity, his brown eyes glowed amber and a bouquet of Marigolds appeared in his hand only to be given over to the King. Magic? He…

Fae.

My father liked to tell me frightening stories when I was a girl about a time in his own youth where the Fae ruled over the mortal lands. He told me of their cunning, their silver tongues, and most importantly, their wicked magic that had the power to wipe out entire kingdoms.

But after the revolution, a bloody war waged against the Fae in which Kaius’ bloodline and my own defeated them and ascended to their respective thrones, the fae were largely driven elsewhere. They fled overseas, in an unnamed land no mortal dared to even think about, let alone attempt to visit. And as far as my father was concerned, that was the end of their story.

But now…now I could see just how little he knew about anything.

Suddenly, I felt whatever hope I carried that perhaps my fate—my new life—wouldn’t be as awful as I imagined dying out like the last ember in a pile of ash.

A new world. A stranger as my husband. A faerie as his….

“Princess Marigold,” the sentry bellowed into the chamber, his voice echoing against the walls. “You have the honor of standing in the presence of King of Nox, and the King’s Hand.”

The King’s Hand. My new King—my future husband—had enlisted the council of a faerie? The species that attempted to enslave my own?

The ember fighting to stay alive inside of me died completely.

“I do hope your journey was smooth,” Kaius said, throwing the flowers at the sentry standing beside me, the petals half-crushed by the time the bouquet was in my shaking hands. His voice was velvet smooth, as if it were made of the same darkness and night outside of these walls. He cracked a smile at my quietness. “For what it’s worth, you look wonderful. Far lovelier than your father let on.”

I forced myself to reply. “Thank you, my King.”

He seemed to approve of the use of the title, his head nodding subtly.

“I will have my Hand show you to your quarters,” he announced, snapping his finger before waving it in my direction.

His arrogance was odorous. I couldn’t bear to be in his presence for another moment, and yet…

“Surely you have a handmaid—“

“There are no women on the grounds,” he announced, indifference bordering on agitation in his tone. “Until now, that is.”

No women, no…

Who was to help me bathe? If I were to fall pregnant, who would help me give birth?

I could have fainted there in the center of that too-large throne room if it hadn’t been for a sudden calm that washed over me when the King’s Hand stepped closer, his eyes glowing again.

“Please, allow me, Princess,” he bowed, holding out his bent arm to me. I accepted it only to repay him for whatever magic he worked on me to save myself from the embarrassment of passing out.

“There will be a ball this evening to welcome you to your new home,” Kaius called after us. “Please see to it that she bathes. I can smell her from here.”

Well, I suppose he said I looked wonderful—not that I smelled that way.

“You smell fine,” the Hand assured quietly as we exited the chamber. I didn’t miss the glare he shot over his shoulder at the King or the icy warning in it. Bold, even for a Fae.

His eyes caught mine as he turned forward again, witnessing the way my eyes narrowed at the sight of him. Of what I remembered from my father’s stories.

“I am not a monster and I am not out to kill you, Princess,” he assured with a slight smirk. I couldn’t explain why, but I could feel the centuries it must have taken for him to master such a look. Dangerous and not, all at the same time.

“Can you read my thoughts?” I snapped, suddenly conscious of his power.

“No,” he said, calm and amused. “Only your feelings, Your Highness. ”

“Well, stop,” I said, turning my eyes away from his as he led me up a grand, winding staircase made of the same dark brick the rest of the castle was built from.

“It isn’t something within my control,” he said. “But I’ll stop intruding.”

I nodded and tried to will a cold, hard exterior to mask my softness. I couldn’t begin to imagine what these people, cruel and calculated, would do with it.

After a beat of silence, I found myself speaking again.

“Why—“ I started, but quickly gained control of myself. I had no idea what this fae was capable of, let alone his motives. He quirked an eyebrow at me, his eyes scanning my face as he silently assessed me.

“I told you,” he spoke cautiously, as if he were talking to a wild beast he feared but desperately needed to tame. “You needn’t be afraid of me, Princess. Ask your question. I can feel the way it’s eating you up inside.”

I ignored the way his voice fell into something lower, something far too intimate for my taste.

“Why would the King appoint a fae as his Hand?” I asked against better judgment. He smiled slightly at me as we paused at the top of the stairs, his hand raising to halt the guards that I wasn’t even aware were trailing us. The men obeyed, stopping at the bottom of the stairs while he led me down another long, dark hallway.

“The King does many things I do not understand,” he said, his voice a trained whisper. “My existence is bound to his. He saved my life—“ The Hand held up his right hand, or more accurately, the ornate, solid gold prosthetic in its place. I wondered if he could feel my shock, but if he had, it didn’t show. “So, here I am.”

I ignored the urge to question him further on that specific subject. Perhaps another time.

“Do you enjoy it? Being here?” He must’ve been able to sense me feeling him out, that flicker of a smile vanishing into thin air.

“Not often,” he replied. At least he told the truth. “I find Court in all its pomp and frill to be incredibly isolating. But, on the other hand, it provides. I am free—to an extent. Just as you’ll be.”

“To an extent,” I repeated with a scoff. “Why are there no women around?”

“There are, just not in the castle. The rest of our court prefers their own manors to living on the grounds,” he said, turning another sharp corner. “And as for your personal servants, I’m meeting with potential handmaids this afternoon. If you’d like, you can come along and select them for yourself.”

“Yes, that would be…fine,” I said. “You’re awfully…friendly. For a Hand. I expect you’re taking note of every single thing I say to report back to the King.”

“I’m not taking any more note of you than you are of me,” he winked, unlocking a chamber that felt cold even with the two large, stone doors closed. “If you expect that I am a spy sent to observe and report, I must disappoint you.”

“What are you then? An ally?” I asked, quirking a brow at him.

I couldn’t help but feel torn between the image of a faerie that my father had painted for me—the very same father that cruelly sent me to this dark, awful, cold place—and the picture in front of me of an honest, warm man.

“I could be a friend,” he said. “But at the very least, I am here to make your life easier. Whatever you need, send for me and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.”

“I always thought it would be my husband doting on me like that,” I joked, shaking my head at the childish imagining. “Speaking of. What is he like? What might I expect? Is he a romantic? A brute?”

The Hand seemed to think hard for a moment. I could see him retreating into his own mind, as if it were a real place and not just something inside of him. When he came back to the moment, I suspected he’d have masterfully worded his response to avoid any missteps.

How long had it taken to learn such a skill?

“The King is what he is. He can be a very good man, and he can be…a very good King. I have a feeling you understand the need for the distinction,” he said, his eyes scanning my face again. “I wouldn’t pry. He’s generally better left to himself and his own doings.”

“I’m perfectly fine with keeping my distance,” I returned, rolling my eyes at the reality of my new life before gesturing at the door. “Well, if this is to be the start of my prison sentence, don’t let me delay you any longer.”

“Your Highness,” he sighed, leveling his eyes with mine in a way that no one ever had, as if he were talking to an equal. “This place is only a prison if you let it be. There’s plenty to see, to do, to busy yourself with. Don’t lock yourself away and let this grief eat you whole.” His eyes softened as they combed over my face. I wondered how pitiful I must’ve looked to earn such a stare. “Friend or ally, it is my pleasure to serve you, Princess.”

I didn’t say anything, only giving him a single nod before entering my chamber and closing the door.

In between quick, panicked breaths, I surveyed the suite around me. It looked nothing like my chamber back at home.

It was an absurdly large, two-story suite fit for a Queen—though, I remembered it made sense given that I would be one soon enough. On the first floor, there was the foyer I stood in, its dark stone walls, matching charcoal curtains, and velvet black furnishing reminding me of a very posh dungeon. Beyond a set of black, paneled ,double-doors was a less intimidating sitting room with a black-brick hearth that reached up to the high ceiling. On either side of the sitting room sat a dining room and a study that matched the current gothic aesthetic. I only briefly scanned the wall-to-wall bookshelves in my new study before venturing upstairs to my main chamber, a large dressing and bathing suite attached on either side.

I couldn’t stop my throat from swelling as I took in my new surroundings. This was nothing like home to me.

Instead of the sheer yellow curtains that flowed in the open breeze in my old bedroom, there were dark blue velvet curtains drawn over the large floor-to-ceiling windows to keep out the cold. Instead of my white linen comforter and canopy bed, there only sat a large, gothic style four-poster bed with a velvet, onyx-colored blanket tucked in neatly.

There was no lightness in this castle, but I foolishly expected that perhaps my room would, at least, be an inviting space for me to lock myself away in, as the Hand said.

Perhaps he could remedy the decor and furnishings for me if I asked nicely.

I ignored the idea and headed into the large bathing room on the right side of my bedroom, its giant windows overlooking the snowy grounds of the castle. At least this room seemed to hold some beauty.

Between the large windows showcasing the dark winter wonderland outside, the stars I was only just becoming familiar with shining so brightly overhead, and the giant pool in place of a normal bathtub, I couldn’t find myself to hate this space. This, for now, would be my haven.

Shedding my overcoat, I suddenly realized that no bath had been drawn for me, and seeing as how I had never drawn my own or watched it be done—what a clueless and pampered girl—I started to panic.

What would the punishment be if I showed up to the ball still smelling of my travels?

I didn’t have a minute to consider it before the pool started to fill with steaming water, the room scented with ylang ylang and gardenia.

The Hand’s doing, no doubt.

I sighed away the rest of the shiver I still had from being outside, and stripped down to nothing before stepping into the perfectly hot water, every ache in my body fading instantly.

So, this was to be my life. I’d tend to my husband’s urges, attend gatherings, and sit here in this bathtub trying to convince myself not to throw myself through the window.

A fitting punishment for the least loved daughter of five.

After a long struggle of trying and failing to fashion my corset by myself—I wasn’t going to ask The King’s Hand to help me into my dress, even if I was entirely certain he’d agree—I opted for a looser gown that buttoned at the front of the bodice.

Though I wasn’t used to this darker, cooler color palette, I couldn’t help but admire the fine fabrics filling my armoire. The one I’d chosen for this afternoon—if you could call it that—was made of the smoothest silk I’d ever touched, even smoother than the luxurious fabrics my sister came back from Florere with during her last visit. Its color was just as dark as the night sky around me. On the shoulders, there were beaded black rosettes that sparkled even in the dull light coming in through the window. Covering my arms was a sheer black mesh that glittered as if it was made of starlight. I couldn’t find a reason to fault it.

A knock at the stone door on the lower level of my suite tore me away from the full length mirror in my dressing room. I slowly made my way down the stone staircase to the foyer, my heart racing with fear at the thought of Kaius waiting behind the door instead of a sentry or The Hand.

I wasn’t sure what that told me about my future marriage, but I could only assume it wasn’t a promising start.

Thankfully, I was only met with the sight of The Hand, his smile turning into something more indulgent as he took in the sight of me in my new gown.

“A lovely choice for this afternoon, Princess,” he said, finally meeting my eyes. “The violet brings out the brown in your eyes.”

I didn’t know what to say or if I wanted to accept the compliment. Still, it was smart to be polite.

“Thank you,” I managed. “Shall we go?”

He let out a breath of a chuckle and nodded, holding his arm out for me.

“Is that necessary?” I asked, staring at him and his arm that remained held out for me.

“Does my chivalry bother you?” he teased, lifting an eyebrow as I continued staring blankly at him until he finally let his arm fall to his side. “I was under the impression Princesses enjoyed good manners.”

It took everything in me not to scoff in his face.

“I enjoy good manners that don’t involve me hanging on the arm of a man I do not know, all to be seen as a trophy—a prize that you’d do well to remember is not yours,” I snapped, some of that Solis heat boiling in my veins. He only looked pleased by my response.

“You are certainly not what I imagined,” he said, shaking his head at me with that stupid smile on his face. “That’s not to say I’m disappointed.”

“I don’t suppose it matters whether or not I am what you imagined, does it?” I returned.

“I suppose,” he agreed before waving his hand down the hallway. “Shall we?”

“I suppose,” I echoed, my voice sharp with irritation.

We made our way from the east wing of the castle to the main reception room on the first floor in mutually agreed upon silence. I didn’t want to hear any more of his quips nor did I imagine he wanted to hear any more of my snide retorts. And instead of conversation, I busied myself with mapping out the castle.

If I were going to spend the rest of my days here, I thought it best to get well acquainted with my surroundings, but it seemed the castle was built purposefully to confuse its residents. With all the dark stone and torchlight, I couldn’t tell which way was where. The only markers were the staircases, each one fashioned with a slightly different shade of charcoal to distinguish their location.

I quickly made a mental note to establish my bearings based on this knowledge later.

As we entered the reception room, I took note of the guards posted along the walls and at every entrance and exit. It must have looked terrifying to the sixteen women who stood in a neat line in front of a smaller dais than the one in the throne room. It looked terrifying to me, and I was here as the future Queen Consort.

“Introducing The King’s Hand and the future Queen, Princess Marigold!”

I hoped there would be a way to convince Kaius to cut this bellowing out of my entrances. It seemed ridiculous to have a sentry squawk out my name every time I entered a room, especially once I became Queen and everyone knew who I was.

“Your choice, Princess,” he said, gesturing at the two chairs on the dais. I wondered if there was any significance in him offering me to choose my seat, but decided that if there was, I wouldn’t bother searching for it. I sat down in the seat on the right and nearly gasped at the plushness of the throne.

Was everything here made this well?

“Thank you all for coming,” he began, his voice more commanding than it had been just a second ago when he was speaking to me. “I do ask that in the future, you bow in the presence of your new Queen.”

I wanted to slap him for speaking for me. I didn’t think these women should have to bow before anyone considering half of them were old enough to be my grandmother.

“Your new Queen asks that you do not bow to me unless you feel called to do so,” I cut in, surprising The Hand as he opened his mouth to speak again. “Bowing only means anything if it’s done with the right heart.”

He seemed to find my outburst intriguing, or perhaps infuriating given the way his jaw tightened as he turned from me back to the women.

“As the Princess wishes,” he managed. Pointing at the first woman in the line up, he spoke again. “Come.”

“Must you be so demanding,” I whispered to him, earning only a glance in my direction.

A young looking girl approached the dais, her pale skin and tangled white-blonde hair bringing a soft frown to my face.

“What is your name?”

“Drusilla, Your Highness,” she said, bowing low enough to sweep the floor.

“Age?”

“Sixteen.”

Gods. She was hardly more than a child. Even I still felt like one and I was a decade older.

“She’s a child,” I whispered, appalled that his people would even bring her before me.

She’s an orphan.

I heard his voice in my head as clear as if he had spoken right in my ear. I contained my gasp as he turned to me for a moment, his eyes still glowing.

It was either offering servitude or leaving her to starve.

I swallowed the lump in my throat at his show of power and nodded, turning to the girl.

“Have you any training? Any expertise?” I asked, hoping that the softness in my voice could quell some of her trembling fear as she fought not to look me in the eye.

“No, Your Highness,” she said, her voice weak and frail as her frame. She looked near death, as if it was a miracle she was still standing.

“Drusilla,” I called, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “Have you eaten today?”

She shook her head. I didn’t think she’d eaten in a week judging by her frailness.

I turned to The Hand and nodded, hoping he understood me even if I couldn’t get in his head like he did mine.

“Take her to eat then show her to her quarters,” he commanded. I watched as not a second passed before the sentries were doing as they were told. “If any one of you attempts to lay a hand on her…”. His power surged around us enough to darken the already dreary room. “You lose that hand. And that is only a taste of what else might be lost if anyone disobeys my command.”

The men bowed, silently pledging their honor, before leaving the room with a still trembling Drusilla. I made a mental note to visit her as soon as I could to try and calm some of her fears the way my elder sister did with me during my departure.

“Are all Hands this powerful?” I asked, lacing my voice with mockery to disguise my intimidation.

The Hand didn’t answer.

“Next,” he demanded, waving at the second woman in line.

She was older than the rest of the candidates by far, though I had no clue of how old she was exactly. I took in her raven black hair, the lines etched on her sickly pale, almost gray skin, and finally met the endless black void of her eyes. I knew at the first glance that something was off about her. Something I didn’t want near me.

“Your name,” he inquired. The older woman grinned widely enough to bare her rotted teeth, forcing my stomach to flip with both fear and disgust.

“I have no name,” she replied, her voice shrill and scratchy like claws raking over stone.

I’d only ever met one of the Cursed—a wicked group of witches that dabbled only in the dark side of magic--before, after she was brought before my father to be tried. That witch looked slightly younger and more refreshed than the one in front of me, but there was no mistaking their identical set of onyx eyes.

“You’re one of the Cursed,” I accused, shocking myself along with the rest of the room. The Hand whipped his attention towards me for a moment before turning back to the woman at my feet.

He took a few moments to inspect her using some sort of magic, at least judging by the way his eyes seemed to glow that shade of gilded bronze again. Whatever he must have discovered, it was enough to force his face into a stern scowl as his eyes faded back to their normal dark brown.

“Do you deny practicing the dark arts?” he asked through clenched teeth, his hand moving to rest on the hilt of his dagger. “High Priestess?”

The wicked old woman grinned at the use of her title.

“Do you?” she purred, her wicked tongue laced with venom. “You’ve got more darkness in you than me and all my sisters combined.”

“Take her away,” he ordered. Six guards surrounded the witch and seized her, though she certainly didn’t make it easy with all her hissing and thrashing about. “Lock her in the Dark Cell. Since she loves the darkness so much.”

“Hypocrite!” she screamed, shrieking like a witch. “What a foul hypocrite of a Faerie! The darkness will come for you too!”

“What is she—“

“Have the witch taken to the dungeon before I cut her head off and have it mounted in the throne room,” he ordered, leaving no room for questioning in the harshness of his voice. As the guards carried the still-shrieking witch away, I stared at him with wide eyes, fearing the glimpse of darkness—the same darkness the witch accused him of harboring inside—I just saw in his eyes. Sensing my frightened stare, he softened himself with a sigh and turned to me. “I apologize, Princess. Clearly my men are not as trained to spot evil as you seem to be.”

I couldn’t stop looking at him. I wanted to tear his mind apart and lay its contents out on a table to carefully study one by one. He seemed entirely unreadable.

“I’d like to go back to my chamber,” I whispered, voice small with fear. “Please.”

Studying me for a moment with what looked to be concern mixed with guilt, he nodded, turning back to the guards waiting behind the remaining women who stood trembling with fear.

“Take the rest away,” he ordered with a wave of his hand. He waited until there was not a single soul in the room before turning back to me. “I apologize if the witch’s outburst frightened you. I can assure you, it is rare that one of the Cursed gathers the courage to make an appearance, and even rarer that they cause any harm. They’re simply old Crones who like to waste away worshiping at the feet of Death.”

“She said that you…have darkness in you, too,” I replied, my voice hardly above a whisper as I tracked his every move. Hesighed, lifting a hand to rub over the coarse hair covering his chin.

“Yes,” he admitted, though it looked as though it pained him to do so. “All Fae carry both light and dark inside of them. We are made of it. Not equal parts, necessarily.”

“So you’re made up of…more darkness than light?”

“She seems to think so,” he said, dropping his eyes to my lips before bringing them back to mine. “What do you think? Do you see any resemblance between me and that old witch?”

“Not physically, no,” I let out a huff of amusement.

“And how about the way I make you feel?” he asked, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he was fighting off a smirk. “You knew the moment you saw her for what she was. Yet, you have yet to hurl an accusation like that at me.”

“Would you like me to?” I asked, finally earning a laugh from him. I found myself smiling, too. It seemed The Hand had a knack for putting me at ease.

“Would you still like to return to your chambers?” he asked, standing up and walking over to where I remained sitting.

“Yes, I think some rest will do me well,” I said, standing up with the help of his hand. “It’s been an exciting morning.”

“I believe this evening will be just as eventful given that this court hasn’t seen a new member in years,” he said, walking with me down the steps of the dais before leading us out into the corridor. “A word of caution, if I may.”

“You may,” I said, glancing over at him just to admire the way the torchlight lit up his face. A face I had no business admiring.

“Don’t let yourself be alone with anyone at the ball, Marigold,” he said, meeting my eyes as we walked. “They’ll either try to seduce you, exploit you, or kill you.”

“Gods,” I choked, shaking my head. “Court in Solis was so boring compared to this. The only torture to be found there was having to listen to my father’s speeches.”

The Hand chuckled. “Kaius isn’t much of a public speaker, so at least you’re clear on that front.”

“When am I to officially marry him?” I asked, that fearsome pit in my stomach growing at the mere thought of marrying a man I didn’t know.

“Tonight,” he said, sympathy filling his eyes as he watched me shudder. “If…if you’re comfortable, I can ease some of your fear.”

“No amount of kind words—“

“I meant with my magic,” he smiled. “I can take it away for a while. Help with the nausea.”

I sighed. I shouldn’t have to need magic in order to not be sickened by my fate.

“What if I were to accidentally trip down a staircase? Fall from a ledge?” I joked. Mostly.

He clearly found no amusement in it as he stopped us abruptly, his eyes boring into mine.

“Please try not to make those kinds of jokes,” he said, his tone both stern and gentle. “Kaius’s mother…she—“

“Oh, Gods,” I gasped, covering my mouth as my heart dropped into my gut. “I am—Gods, I had no idea.”

“Kaius would be very quick to…react if you said anything like that around him,” he warned, making my skin pimple as I thought about the ways Kaius could possibly react. I didn’t want to find out. “So, please try to save your dark humor just for me.”

I ignored the idea of saving anything “just for him” and continued walking, feeling his presence looming behind me in thick but not unwelcome silence.

“How are you liking your suite?” he asked as we neared my chamber.

“It’s…dark,” I replied, unsure of whether or not he’d take offense given that he, apparently, was dark, too. “But I do love the bathing room and its windows.”

“I thought you might,” he said, a content sound to his voice.

“How?” I wondered if perhaps he’d done some spying on me before I came, either with or without my father’s knowledge. Though, it made sense that the King’s Hand would want to know what kind of person they were getting for their new Queen Consort.

“Not you, specifically,” he assured, turning to me as we stood in front of the giant stone door to my suite. “I just figured that whoever ended up here would enjoy a good view of their new environment without having to…interact with anyone. Though, there are certainly better views of the stars elsewhere on the grounds.”

“Like where?” I asked, more out of politeness than anything else.

“There’s a conservatory in the East Wing with a library,” he said, his voice soft with reverence. “The roof is made of glass, so there are no obstructions. Just the stars.”

“You sound quite fond of it, I wouldn’t want to steal your hiding place,” I joked, finding it oddly easy to do with him even with all my distrust.

“I’ve been too busy to spend any time there in a while, so feel free to borrow it. Or steal it. Whichever pleases Your Highness,” he smiled, something hinting and playful in it that made my chest buzz the way it did with my first childhood crush.

“I’ll consider it,” I said, biting back a smile before gesturing at my door. “I should rest.”

He nodded, reaching for the steel handle and pressing the door open. “Would you like me to ensure you get a peaceful rest?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that a threat?”

“With magic, I mean,” he chuckled.

“How does it work?” I tilted my head, studying his irises. How was it possible for them to look so ordinary most of the time only to…

His irises turned golden again, his stare unwavering and focused. “I essentially convince your mind that you are at peace, content. Your body reacts to the signals, and it washes away the effects of all of those nasty worries and fears.”

A wave of calm washed over me, just like it had earlier in the throne room when I nearly vomited out of sheer nerves.

“Do most people here know that you…can do this? Can read their emotions?”

“No,” he said, those glowing eyes fading into something far less supernatural. “Just Kaius, my generals, a few trusted members at court, and…you.”

“Can all Fae do this?”

“Magic, yes. Sensing emotions, no.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling so content that I considered curling up right there on the cold stone floor of my doorway.

“Rest,” he ordered softly, his voice a whisper. “I’ll send your new handmaid to you an hour before the ball.”

“You’re only giving me an hour to get ready for my wedding?” I asked, giving him a half-smile as I crossed my arms around my body, already trying to get cozy.

“Can I tell you a secret?” I nodded and he smiled. “You could show up in a burlap sack with your hair in tangles and still be the most beautiful person in the room.”

“I doubt that,” I chuckled, fighting a blush from appearing on my olive cheeks.

“I mean it,” he insisted with an amused grin. “Our court is a dark, dreary gray, and you are…a golden ray of light. They won’t know what to do with themselves when they get a look at you.”

“Is it custom for the Hand to spoil their guest with so many kind words?” I teased.

“Not a guest, no. But for my future Queen?” His eyes danced across my features, the sight clearly pleasing him as his smile spread even wider. “My Queen might do well with getting used to being spoiled.”

“Are you going to refer to me as that after tonight?” I asked, the heaviness of my eyelids causing them to bat in a way that likely sent the wrong message. Or perhaps it sent the right one given the way my chest still buzzed with excitement. “My Queen?”

“It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” His voice had lowered in a way that made me feel dizzy and drunk, my feet stepping closer by sheer instinct. His head bowed from our height difference as he kept his eyes locked on mine. “But it is quite boring. I’ll have to think up something more fitting.”

“And what do I call you, Your Highness?” I purred, suddenly finding it hard to stop myself from closing the foot of distance between us.

“Ezra,” he replied, low and warm and much too intimate.

My breathing halted as he lifted his hand up as though he were about to cup the side of my face with it, but he stopped himself, letting it fall back to his side.

“Sleep well, Your Highness,” he murmured, bowing just enough for me to realize it before he vanished into thin air, leaving a waft of his scent--smoke, moss, cedar, and some spice I couldn’t name--in his wake. I kept myself from fainting by dragging my feet into my chamber and slamming the door shut.

Was I truly allowing myself to develop a crush on not only my soon-to-be husband’s second in command, but a Fae? The scary monster from all my father’s bedtime stories?

But he didn’t feel like a monster. He felt like a friend, or at the very least, someone from back home. I couldn’t help but gauge people based on what my mother would have thought of them. When she didn’t like someone, she never let it show. Instead, she’d give me knowing glances during conversation, each widening or narrowing of her caramel eyes telling me exactly what she refrained from saying.

How dull.

What a narcissist.

He’s so stuffy he makes your father look humble.

I couldn’t imagine her speaking to Ezra and finding him boring, or vain, or snobbish. The only glances I’d receive would be ones that told a different story.

Look at those eyes.

He’s annoyingly considerate.

Now this, Mari, is a man.

But it didn’t matter what my dead mother thought of him, or even what I think. Kaius could have both of our heads on spikes if he found out and became jealous. I’d learn exactly how he’d react when provoked, and I had no interest in that sort of pain. I wanted peace, even in my prison sentence. I’d keep Ezra as a friend, and nothing more.

For as long as I could bare it.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fluff #ezra prospect #ezra prospect x oc #ezra x oc #starlight

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star-light-shadows · 7 months

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A comprehensive explanation of why I think Suselle will likely not happen and Kriselle is the true end-game pairing.

I personally do think there's a pretty strong chance of them falling through in the end. While I do think that they are far from the most interesting pairing possible, it isn't solely because of that. There are a lot of details that to me suggest that they are not truly meant for each other like it may immediately seem. And Noelle's "romantic destiny" may actually fall to someone else.

Starting with major details that strongly suggest the pairing isn't going down without a hitch, Susie is very strongly suggested to only be interested in Noelle as a friend. The character teas tell us that Susie feels equally for Kris, Noelle, and Ralsei, and while you could say that this is before the Ferris wheel ride, even after that in the chapter epilogue, when talking about bringing Ralsei or Noelle to the fair, she says that Kris would obviously be there, not getting/caring about the concept of how dates work. By all means it seems like Susie just wants to have friends. Frankly there's a massive chance with how she's portrayed that she's AroAce.

Even bigger than that, tho, is how Suselle is pretty clearly portrayed parallel to Kris x Ralsei, and there is some pretty damn obvious lore that makes it very clear that Kralsei is not going to turn into a proper end-game pairing, even being describable as a downright weird ship on-par with pseudo-incest. So if Kralsei is seemingly being pushed by the game, but is most likely going to fall apart at some point, I feel it's incredibly likely that Suselle is too.

In fact, while I wouldn't go nearly as far as to say that it's toxic, I think this comparison shows that we shouldn't shy away from acknowledging that some aspects of Suselle as it's been presented may be unconducive to the two being in a proper romantic relationship.

The biggest thing that leads me to think these two aren't end-game material is that there are a lot of details that suggest to me that Noelle's crush on Susie is best described as "misplaced."

The primary target of Noelle's attraction for Susie is very often displayed as being for things that Susie simply isn't beyond the surface. She simps for Susie as a rough and mean bully who slams people into lockers and would push her over before laughing at her. A presentation that Chapter 1 thoroughly establishes as being a defense mechanism, not what Susie is really like. And she's the one person Susie wouldn't bully anyway as a result of the Pencil thing, something Noelle has to be told. Noelle doesn't want/expect Susie to soften up to her at all.

The other half of how her feelings for Susie are presented is basically the part of her that admires Susie for what she wishes she had. Being brave, unafraid to break the rules, generally being strong. And while that's all fine and dandy for a romantic relationship on its own, Romantic feelings that consist of that and thinking they're hot for reasons that aren't actually true, when put together create a situation that can only be described as Noelle having a crush on the IDEA of Susie, rather than who Susie actually is.

Now I don't expect this to turn into something toxic or obsessive, quite the opposite, I expect this to be something Noelle will begin to realize as her crush on Susie begins to actually FADE the closer she gets to Susie. (Something Susie will be totally fine with because she just wants to have friends.)

So who else would be Noelle's romantic interest? Well, I was talking before about me not thinking Suselle is interesting, and while that's still not my main argument, I think it's important to explain a little of why. Noelle and Susie seems painfully bland as a pairing to me mainly because it doesn't feel like it brings anything out of the two characters. Whether romantic or not, the best relationships between two characters are going to bring out the best parts of the two characters. Both in the realistic-romantic-viability sense and in the character-writing sense.

While they might not be romantic, an example of this I'd like to bring up is Susie and Ralsei. Their personalities complement each other perfectly to the point where they bring out each other's best qualities. Susie is snarky and crude and her love language is largely comprised of playful teasing, but is also very empathetic with a big heart. Ralsei is kind and tolerant of others, making him the perfect "victim" for Susie's love language, but is noticeably lacking in empathy. Ralsei makes Susie more open to affection while Susie teaches Ralsei to be more assertive. Ralsei acts as the voice of reason, but in emotionally charged situations Susie makes up for Ralsei's lack of empathy. Plus, Susie is the one Lightner who doesn't see Ralsei's similarity to Asriel, likely being the one person who sees Ralsei as his own person, something Ralsei has been shown to struggle with himself.

Not dissimilar to this, there's one character that consistently brings out the best pieces of Noelle's character. And it's Kris.

Noelle's whole arc in Chapter 2 is about becoming mentally and emotionally stronger, right? Well, while most gravitate to connecting this to Noelle's admiration of Susie, when you look at how this arc actually plays out in the story narratively and mechanically, It's actually Kris that has this affect on Noelle. We see her boldness stat go up as we trek across the Cyber world with just her and Kris. She becomes bolder as a result of fighting alongside Kris and enduring their playful pranks. Noelle may admire Susie for her strength, but being around Kris is what brought that strength out of Noelle. (As well as her playful and goofy side.)

This deep effect Kris has on Noelle is the entire basis of the Snowgrave route, just twisted and warped. So isn't it interesting that this corrupted version of Noelle and Kris's relationship is multiple times characterized as an abusive romantic relationship?

Plus, in the epilogue of the Snowgrave route, despite everything that the player, through Kris, did, she monologues about how she wants to investigate what's going on with Kris, knowing that something is wrong, that the friend she knew would never do what happened, and vowing to figure it out and help Kris. Showing an incredible level of personal dedication.

Kris and Noelle go through a lot of interpersonal development in chapter 2, significantly more than Noelle and Susie do. Kris knew Noelle as a close friend in the past, but they seem to have had some kind of falling out. Despite this falling out and an air of emotional uncertainty around the two, several key moments with Noelle make it explicitly clear that Noelle deeply longs/longed to be close with Kris again.

"Yep! That's right! We're friends!" (It's. . . surprisingly nice just hearing Kris say that.) (Kris hasn't given me a gift like this. . . since we were little kids. . . Are they saying they want things to go back to. . .)

The "dating shoes" dialogue is especially interesting with this context, as it almost makes it seem like there are deep feelings between the two that even They don't understand.

And Kris brings out by far the deepest pieces of Noelle's character, even by her own direct admission. Her conversation with Kris late into Cyber City brings her history with Dess to the table, one of the more narratively interesting parts of her character, and at the end She says

(Kris is the only one who knows how weird I am.) (It's not fair, y'know!? Everyone knows how weird YOU are. Fahahaha.)

Simultaneously saying Kris is the only one who understands her, and that she truly likes Kris's open weirdness, to the point of believing it to be admirable rather than to be ashamed of. (Which honestly is probably something Kris needs to hear.)

While this may be venturing a little into fan-fictiony territory, Kris and Susie are superficially similar enough that I wouldn't doubt that her crush on Susie somehow stemmed off of her feelings for Kris in Kris's absence.

Overall, there's just a lot going on between Kris and Noelle that suggests something deeper than just friendship. Romantic undertones, estranged but longing to be together, bringing out the deepest pieces of each other, knowing each other better than anyone else. . . Unlike her crush on Susie, being based on a defense mechanism, Noelle likes Kris for who Kris is, even more than Kris themselves.

They're practically the perfect couple, only in the making.

Childhood friends to lovers is a common trope, and it's very characteristic of this game's emotional complexity to have two who've drifted apart be the ones destined to be. Not every love story is as simple as "Immediate crushing -> Confession -> Dating."

#deltarune #noelle holiday #noelle deltarune #kris x noelle #noelle x kris #kriselle #kris deltarune #kris dreemurr #anti-suselle

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libellule-saphique · 10 months

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Miraculous Season 5: Luka & Kagami's Wasted Potential

If this show wasn't already bad enough.........

Like everything else, it disappoints me that the writers of this show are lazy when it comes to additional character development essentially in the love rivals

but who am I kidding? I knew what to expect when Thomas quite literally said Gabriel was redeemable after torturing all of Paris for years simply because he wants his wife back actively neglecting & abusing his son in the process while in the same breath saying Chloe is beyond redemption and she's a teenage girl who's dad couldn't give a rat's ass about her and spoils her crazy to get her off his back 24/7 and her mom who wants nothing to do with her verbally & mentally abuses her with the only real people who like her to the slightest and tolerate her are Sabrina and Armand who's practically her butler. The double comparison and double standard is wild but nonetheless not surprising seeing how the show's narrative is already bias when it comes down to Adrien & Marinette's character treatment. (the misogyny and racism is loud as hell)

Season 4 of Miraculous was already beginning to go downhill and season 5 simply added icing on the cake. To be honest I was partly excited to see the relationship dynamic within the love rival relationships, Lukanette & Adrigami at the start of season 4 because it was different from the repetitive love square and we got to see our two main leads interact with other characters in a romantic light other than themselves only to end before they could really start. It was a slap in the face and a huge cut from some possible major character development and love square progress. But the writers are so afraid of change and cant manage to make a good progressive storyline and felt that Luka & Kagami were too much of a threat to their Love Square that could've heavily improved because of them in the first place. Some episodes could've been focused on friendships between the love rivals and Marinette & Adrien. But ofc we get the same monotonous plotline mid season 3 to the beginning of season 4 Adrien & Kagami spend more time together, Marinette is conflicted and overwhelmed with feelings, Luka is there for emotional support (which felt like his sole purpose in earlier episodes even until now) Kagami is constantly frustrated by Adrien's indecisiveness, passiveness, and hesitance, etc, etc whatever and it continues all until they break up.

Then out of the wood works, we get Adrien realizing he has feelings for Marinette despite her being quote on quote "just a friend" 3-4 seasons straight. Despite. Marinette putting a hold on relationships ever since Lukanette's breakup and the fact that Monarch is still on the prowl and her responsibilities as a hero, because lets be honest if Ladybug/Marinette doesn't tend to Paris & Monarch no one else will, (Chat Noir definitely won't) the writers still say "hey lets tend to and coddle Adrien's feelings bc now he likes her more than "just a friend" and it doesn't matter how Marinette feels, doesn't matter if she's not ready for a relationship even though she's made that clear on multiple occasions after her and Luka's breakup bc at the end of day what we learn is what we already know "Adrien's feelings are more important than Marinette's overall treatment as the female protagonist and discomfort."

And what do you ask happens to the love rivals? Of course! the writers have to find a way to string them away from the complicated love square

Instead we get Luka shipped off with his dad on a world tour and Kagami paired with Felix (which........also doesn't feel right and for what reason did this have to happen?) Felix is the same guy who quite literally SH Ladybug, but ok? the writers feel like it makes sense to pair Kagami with this guy? She seems to like him for the same reasons her and Adrien's relationship took so long to work out in the first place. I don't even know what she saw in him, he's so bland, so passive, and everyone characterizes him as a "perfect cinnamon catboy who's abused and needs emotional support leaning on our main female lead who's not responsible for his baggage at all but hey! Everything is Marinette's responsibility after all right? They decide to give Felix more purpose in the show as Felix's a more assertive, serious, proactive version of Adrien and that's exactly what Kagami's looking for but I honestly think that it's a cop out for the possible unresolved feelings she had/has for Adrien (though he doesn't deserve her anyway) . It's like the show's message when it comes to romance and love is the only way to be genuinely happy is in a relationship which is so beyond fucked up, and its a overall bad message to kids and teens, no one in the show learns to love themselves and learn themselves first, Kagami would be simply fine without any relationship I can say the same for many other characters especially Marinette & Adrien. Why are romantic relationships needed to began with?

Season 5 is a prime example of the garbage dump Miraculous has become over the years and the poor writing decisions the writers have made.

#kagami tsurugi #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #adrien salt #luka couffaine #mlb #miraculous ladybug #miraculous season 5 #love square #adrienette #adrigami #lukanette #chloe bourgeois #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #tomoe tsurugi

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johannestevans · 1 month

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On the one hand the Grey's Anatomy musical episode is so far probs the best musical episode I've ever seen of anything, they obviously got a great musical director for this, they gave everyone songs that were in their range, it's very well mixed and edited

Unfortunately I'm distracted by the fact that Arizona Robbins was so distracted on her desire to control and coerce every moment of callie's life that she proposed marriage (to give her LEGAL control over her as well as emotional and psychological) and crashed her fucking car

've never been so viscerally disgusted by a depiction of abuse in television BC like. It's obvious that while the Grey's writers at this time got a great musical director, they were going through some very pro-abuse and pro- coercive control times for these episodes

This woman literally wants Callie dead so that she can either fob off or fully control her baby rather than Callie being alive and having her baby delivered prematurely

Because she's so threatened by Callie having ANY relationship that's not about obeying arizona

And I understand psychologically where this instinct for abuse and control comes from - it's no surprise given that she's a self-described army brat, many people from LE and army backgrounds don't even realise how normalised their abusive upbringings and worldviews are

Arizona is also a deeply insecure woman, she's terrified of her own interiority - it's part of why she's so threatened and angry when criticised even mildly, but also why she becomes so irrationally full of rage at mark's LACK of jealousy and own lack of desire to abude callie

After all, mark doesn't really love her if, unlike Arizona, he doesn't feel compelled to scream at her and control her and order her what to do and take away her choices.

Because that's what love is, right?

And she wants his lack of abuse to be because he's a man

And yet conversely, in her rage about her lack of control in the baby shower, the fact that Callie was enjoying something that Arizona doesn't (and therefore doesn't want to acknowledge people enjoy), she has to insult mark's masculinity

Arizona struggles hugely to empathise with others because to empathise with others you have to be able to think about how they're feeling and why, and she can't even do that process about her own feelings

I'm sure that's part of why she's so good with children

Children's emotions are much more simple, because they're often quite uncontrolled and, like her, they are suddenly overwhelming because they don't have the literacy to understand their own feelings and where they come from

It's why I maintain that Arizona, presented w the sort of child I was - or many autistic child trauma and rape victims, children who seem too complex and too "adult" - would probably be disgusted and, again, irrationally angry

She has to to some extent fetishise the "innocence" of the tiny humans that she specialises in helping, because if she focuses on their innocence as special and unique, to some extent that carries to the "purity" of her own eternally unexamined internal state

I'm not saying shes not well written because like. She is. I understand completely every facet of why she acts like this

But she needs to be like… Not in any relationships. Just because she doesn't hit Callie (although I wouldn't be surprised) doesn't mean it's not abuse

I think one reason it works so well as a musical episode is because it understands that many of its cast aren't strong singers and either doesn't make them sing, or includes them only in ensemble and group parts

Like that was such a good decision that many TV writers wouldn't make - giving Owen such a big role in this episode is smth a lot of ppl wouldn't do because he's bland as fuck and no one cares about him

But he IS an actual singer, so it makes sense

He's not a very interesting performer, but he is actually trained - frankly it's a shame Eli wasn't shoehorned in more given that he's so strong in comparison lmao

But yeah god. After so many bad musical episodes in so many shows, what a refreshing take

Anyway they shouldn't get married and it's horrifying lol

But mark apologising to Arizona for the "you're nothing" comment is wild BC you can see that she just. Isn't computing it. Why is he apologising? He's right, she thinks! He must have a motive!

I know that mark sloan doesn't fix her, and I know that being in a polyamorous relationship and seeing much healthier meta partnerships doesn't FORCE abusers to realise how cruel or controlling they are and actually make them stop

But like. It is a start?

Like. Mark for all his flaws genuinely is a very caring and self-sacrificing partner, and he doesn't do that by just being a pushover, he's surprisingly compassionate and he obviously cares a lot about filling others' needs

It's interesting to compare his focus on baby Sloan and now this baby, as well as his intimate partnerships with Callie and Little Grey but even with Arizona, and his care about maintaining them and serving others versus his early intro "id be a shit dad" thing

It's really interesting when you hear him complain with the other cis men in the show about being controlled by women BC like. He makes the same complaints as Owen and Derek do

But unlike them he's not like. Doing schemes to control anybody, or not listening when they talk?

Like I'm not saying that in defence of him

I'm saying it's a fascinating cognitive dissonance that he's actually invested in his partners and doesn't dehumanise them on the same misogynistic level

Whilst also being more misogynistic re: sexual objectification than most

I think BC he's just so cool about sex that it doesn't make him dehumanise the women around him in the same way, especially given his like. Blatant unaddressed bisexuality

Whereas Owen and Derek, like many cis men of their variety, basically don't see women as the same species of human as they are, and see them as inherently lesser and therefore worthy of control and coercion, on some subconscious level

#musings #grey's anatomy #arizona robbins #callie torres #mark sloan #long post for ts

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pinkandpurple360 · 4 months

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IDK if it’s a hot take but I actually like Asmodeus as a softie (albeit still flawed - he is a demon). Even in original myths he’s more of a trickster and protector than adversary.

That said, he really did just become the Millie to Fizz’s Moxxie and THAT pisses me off! Like he just kinda exists to comfort Fizz, who adopted Moxxie’s personality out of nowhere.

There are some really great Fizzarozzie fanworks I enjoy way more than canon, not because it’s toxic or anything, but because it was loving but also fun. There are good canon moments (I actually thought the breakfast and workshop scenes in Oops were really well-done) but a lot of it isn’t fun anymore (especially everything in the Mammon - Crooked makes me want to die) because we know what’s going to happen with them - bland heteronormative MoxMil Part 2.

Again I don’t think they have to be super toxic or mean or anything, they should just be like, for lack of better comparison … Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets. Love roasting the shit out of people for funsies, but generally aren’t malicious unless you piss them off, and are ride or die for each other. Cuddly but also horny at the same time. Not a literal Disney movie Mary Sue Lore Olympus fanfic.

Oh no no me too! But what I like is the idea that he had to work to get there, he seems like he’s had a lot of therapy himself, including some rage issues, which fit into his lore, that he’s overcome. And a masculine character like him showing vulnerability and overcoming aggression to reach softness instead, but eventually to everyone, not just fizz. Is a good message. Him being protective, but also possessive, is an interesting layer to explore. But they won’t. -_-

Yeah toxic or mean isn’t quite right…but cheeky is. Cheeky and audacious, they need to be fun and yknow, actually queer? Actually a queer friendly pair who create an lgbt and kink safe space. Honestly though? Viv creating what is essentially a queer and kink bar, and having them all be hostile to an m/f vanilla monogamous couple, is so…stereotypy. (I know MnM are both bi but here me out) that’s like how monogamous straight people who’ve never left straight conservative spaces, think that lgbt spaces are like.

Not a sub fem princess and a masc dom daddy -_- be fr. Sorry but making them heteronormative isn’t what was subversive, it was the tenderness in between the lust. That’s just gone now if you’re trying to sell that they’re in reality, barely kinky and that he coddles him. And personally I think making Ozzie solely in charge of managing fizz’s disability is what killed it for me. It’s no longer “fizz and oz are partners” it’s “fizz is so weak that he literally wouldn’t last five minutes alive without Asmodeus”

Also? Fans saying that Fizz can never leave Asmodeus because he can just never let anybody else see his disabled body or ever be able to manage his disabilities without Asmodeus and only Asmodeus? Yeah. That’s. ableism. And codependency. He should be with him because he wants to be, not because he has to be.

Oh my god. They’re literally those two, they even sit up in the same theatre area together. Man people are going to actually kill me for this but I ship them as platonic best friends who work at the same job and are flirty as the job requires but see other people. Idk I feel like it’s more fun, like you said.

Crooked was nice but at the same time, i did the fangirl squeals. But….for whatever reason, I was pretty happy when Blitz burst in and, literally, broke it up. I didn’t even ship blitzfizz yet but that scene awoke something in me then I rewatched Oops and saw the letter and flower that I didn’t see the first time, then went back and saw Blitzs jealous faces and jealous behaviour and——

Pictured—literally me piecing it all together

#helluva boss critical #fizzarozzie

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petermorwood · 1 year

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That’s a Parsnip Pie. (@dduane’s own blogpost is here.)

She read a tweet about it that worked as a cooking prompt, leading to this Twitter thread.

The thread includes a link to this article, whose writer didn’t like it for various reasons including its appearance (pies with a lattice rather than a lid are apparently Just Not Right) and a recipe whose ingredients seem out of whack, with far too much lemon and not enough everything else except parsnip.

(I later found this article, whose writer seems much more in favour.)

Both articles make a comparison to pumpkin pie: a veggie-based egg custard with such a characteristic taste that “Pumpkin Spice” exists in its own right. However, pumpkin is much more bland than parsnip.

The “Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms” project - set in a world where potatoes don’t exist and other roots take their place - has shown parsnips to have a noticeable pepperiness that’s easier to make use of than ignore.

It’s also easier to make use of in a savoury dish like “Coiner’s Bake” (adapted Pommes Dauphinoise) than in something sweet.

At least until DD made this pie.

All the details are in that Twitter link, but in short, rather than trying to hide the parsnip pepperiness, she worked with it by adding Long Pepper to the spice mix.

She also avoided excessive sourness by reducing the lemons from two to a half, then gave a different tang with grated root ginger not dry powder.

All this dialled the “taste” of the dish back from 1954 and past those Regency literary references of 1810. It’s now far closer to the flavours of medieval recipes we’ve made.

However, it’s not pumpkin pie, so it’s better not to make vague comparisons that might set up tastebuds for something they won’t get.

This is parsnip pie. And it’s good.

To our collective surprise, while we’ve got “English Food” (Jane Grigson), “The Cookery of England” (Elizabeth David) and ”Food and Drink in Britain” (C. Anne Wilson), we don’t have a copy of Dorothy Hartley’s book “Food in England”.

That’ll be put right ASAP.

#food and drink #cooking prompt #parsnips #parsnip pie #food and cooking of the middle kingdoms

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class-1b-bull · 8 months

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hello! heard your drafts were empty, here’s a suggestion!

personal nitpicks you have about the characterization of class 1B/or just the characters in itself in any aspect?

also more of an ask instead of a prompt, but how often/do you do more full length fics? haven’t fully looked through your backlog yet xp

- 🎭

Not proofread we die like men

My personal thoughts/nitpicks for each character.

Awase - Honestly I have nothing to nitpick about his character itself (other than his lack of style) but I dont like how the fandom doesn't acknowledge how hard he has worked to become a pro (he litterally almost died for momo during the summer camp attack)

Sen - i have nothing to nitpick exsept I wish we could see his love for photography a little bit in the show instead of just having horikoshi saying he likes photography yk

Kamakiri - i dont like how he doesnt have a cannon backstory or cannon reasoning for being as loud and brash as he is. Bakugou and Monoma have their reasons for being dicks so I wanna know his.

Kuroiro - i have nothing to nitpick because he is perfect. (Seriously tho, i love his design, character, personality and quirk and it all fits him so well. I just wish we could see more of him)

Kendo - im not sure what it is about her character but theres something there I dont really like. I cant tell what it is tho so I cant nitpick it rip. Its been bothering me since ive first started bnha.

Kodai - my only nit pick with her is I have a hard time writing for her sometimes but thats about it. Shes kinda boring and she has no hard set personality traits so i struggled to wrjte her in the past

Komori - the only thing I have to say for her is we dont see her as much as we should in the show but that could be said about all of class 1B.

Shiozaki - i actually didnt like her when I started this blog and was originally gonna exclude her from the blog because she made me uncomfortable but the more i have written for her the more she grew on me so now I dont mind her.

Shishida - hes kinda boring to me but I like the memes that make him seem like the class dog instead of just a student yk? I saw someone say hes scared of a hairdryer before lmao. Not rlly a nitpick but idc

Shoda - hes kinda basic to me all around. His cannon personality, likes, quirk, ect. Its all just kinda bland in comparison to most of the characters in the show (especially since this show prides itself on unique characters)

Pony - i dont like how she stabbed ojiro in season 5 or 6 I forgot which one. But yea thats about it. Shes pretty fun for me to write sometimes especially when I talk about her being American. But yea all i really have to nitpick is her stabbing ojiro

Tsubaraba - his quirk and personality is more on the unique side when it comes to this show (considering most of the side characters are the quiet/shy type.) But his design isnt anything special. The only way I can tell kosei apart from a random background character is his eyes. If his back is turned I have no idea who he is lmao

Tetsutetsu - in my heart those things around his eyes is a mask. I dont care that the author said they're eyelashes, its a mask. (Same thing with tokoyami having hair and not feathers...)

Tokage - shes cool and all but she is so fucking hard to write (especially since im trying to not dumb the characters down to one or two specific details) but her entire wiki is just 'emotional girl that likes dinosaurs, she kinda smart too' yk?

Manga - i love him and there is nothing to nitpick because he is perfect. He has one of the more unique personalities and quirks out of everyone in the show (in my opinion) and it fits him very well.

Honenuki - i dont like his design all that much. I like the mutation and his quirk is ok in my opinion but I dont like most other parts of his physical design.

Bondo - i like him but ive struggled to write for him a lot of the time because hes kinda boring and lacks any unique personality traits. Talking to him would be like talking to a wall but idc i live him anyways.

Monoma - his reasoning for being a dick to all of class 1-A is better than bakugous reason for being a dick but people excuse bakugous behavior but not monomas for some reason. Not really a nitpick on him but oh well.

Reiko - all I have to say about her is her personality is a little hard for me to write sometimes. Maybe because i dont know as much about her as I do some of the other students but she lacks emotion sometimes.

Rin - he is called the martial arts hero so where tf is the martial arts? I wanna see rin do martial arts in the way weve seen uraraka do martial arts but we dont get that >:( also there is so little content for him it actually drives me insane.

And to answer the fanfiction question-

I have yet to do any actual fanfiction simply because I dont think I would be good at it. I have creative ideas and i can put it into words until a certain point but I am unable to drag things out properly and put proper care into longer writings due to impatience and my lack of confidencein my longer writings. I might think about writing short oneshots for charachters in the future but for now I will stick with headcanons :P

Anyways my life is slowly being consumed by sun haven.

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hopeymchope · 7 months

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Just me loving all over Fire Emblem: Engage

Years after being so thoroughly disappointed and even angered by Fire Emblem: Three Houses — which, it must be said, is deeply popular and incredibly successful because that's how it goes for me — I've found myself loving Fire Emblem: Engage. I put off playing it because the online reception was so "meh," but I needn't have been so worried. My deep affection for the series is back.

Play as Aquafresh OR Pepsi!

The two biggest reasons I'm happy? Well, FIRST, my biggest complaint about Three Houses has been... not cured, unfortunately, but still significantly alleviated. If you want to remain adequately leveled/competitive in taking on strategic battles, you still need to do a bunch of side chores that amount to "running around your home base doing boring shit" between each fight. BUT. 1) The sheer amount of those chores is significantly less now, and 2) all the blind guesswork has been removed from increasing Support levels. You'll never be trying to helplessly guess what to say at some fucking teatime or in some classroom conversation where every response seems valid, nor will be you making your best guess on what food to serve people. Because the game just fucking tells you the kind of gifts or food each person likes! (And tea events/random interstitial convos are blessedly absent.)

SECOND, however? It's the quality of the writing. Yes, I know people have complained a ton about the writing in "Engage," but in my experience, they're primarily complaining because they felt the story is so simplistic. And, sure — I get that. There's so much emotional drama built into the setups of the last three games (Three Houses, Echoes, and Fates) that this tale seems rather bog-standard by comparison. The overarching story of Engage can be boiled down to a tale as old as the franchise itself — essentially "Evil Dragon gonna Do Evil." There are also some aspects of the worldbuilding/subtextual implications that don't quite make sense. But I'm not talking about the overarching plot when I praise the writing here — I'm talking about how the characters possess more detail/facets than usual, and the dialogue/banter between characters is so damn fun.

A woman I feel completely normal about.

I don't even quite know how to explain it. Maybe the humor is just more to my taste, but I've laughed so much more at this one. And by the same token, maybe I'm just digging deeper into these characters because their dialogue is endearing them to me. But after playing the past four games before this one (yes, I started with "Awakening" like some Filthy Casual, I'M SORRY), I don't recall any other game featuring characters with so much detail to them. In Engage, many chracters possess more than the usual "two noteworthy personality traits/talents" that are typically found in FE's enormous casts. I'm talking about people like Citrinne, Lindon, Yunaka, Clanne, Ivy, Gregory... I can easily say like FIVE things about each of them. And yes, I consider this to be an important step forward.

Okay, so: I like the dialogue, I like the characters, I don't like all the side busywork, the overall story is bland. (The Fell Xenalogue's story is kinda sick though?) But hold up, what about the actual MEAT of the game — the core gameplay of having strategic battles? That's not usually a problem, mind you. But how'd it go this time around?

WELL. I'd argue we've got some of the best maps and best ways to optimize characters that we've ever had. There are still some lame straightforward corridors in here, but by and large? You get a lot more freedom in how you lure enemies to you, how you can split up and flank them while simultaneously attacking from the front, how you can now disarm (or "Break") them during one turn so other allies can attack more easily/do more damage — it's pretty rad!

One of the earliest maps to make me go "Oh cool."

There's even a main theme with lyrics, and although it's never gonna be the inescapable earworm that "You are the ocean's gray waves" became, it's not shabby either.

I've put over 80 hours into Engage so far, and although I'm finished with the main story, I'm not yet finished unlocking stuff. There's a lot to love here. I'm just happy to be back.

#fire emblem #fire emblem: engage #video games #fire emblem engage

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gay-dorito-dust · 2 years

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I read like all your werewolf by night stuff and they were amazing. I need more jack Russell and just fell in love with him instantly. Okay enough with me rambling but if you dont mind can you write Jack with reader. And could be reader be thinking about #24 to Jack and think jack deserves better than them?

A/n: I’m very humbled that you like my werewolf by night stuff. I saw the lack of fics and decided to do something about it cuz that’s a crime to Jack Russell. So if anything I’m blessed with the ability to get to write for this character. He deserves it.🦦

Prompt list

Prompt 24- you deserve so much better then me.

‘He’s so beautiful it physically hurts.’ You thought to yourself as you looked down at Jack’s sleeping face, running your fingers through his hair as per your morning ritual, watching adoringly as his features were bathed in the soft golden glow of morning. You felt unworthy of a love as pure as Jack’s. You felt like a fraud, a fake, a deceiver of his trust even when you’ve kept his secret tightly to your chest as though it was your own.

You couldn’t pinpoint where these feelings came about but you were stuck with them either way and you had to deal with it. Never had you ever been given reason to doubt your relationship with Jack; He has been nothing less then kind, caring, attentive and overall the standard of what a romantic partner should be. You, on the other hand, only believed yourself to being selfish and taking advantage of the kindness given to you. Out of everyone Jack could’ve possibly chosen, he chose you and every day since then you’ve asked yourself why?

Why out of every possible suitor did his heart chose you? What made you special in comparison because each time you looked in a reflective surface of that a mirror or a river, you only saw boring, bland, you staring back. Your eyes didn’t hold stars within them, your smile didn’t beam brightly and you neither lighten up a whole room upon arrival nor made heads turn in your direction. You didn’t understand how Jack could look at you with unconditional love within his eyes and proudly hold your hand in his own without any ounce of shame of being seen with you. It didn’t make sense to you that someone like him could find you remotely attractive never less attractive.

Sensing that your hand had stopped stroking his hair, Jack opened a bleary eye, groaning softly, as he looked to see that your eyes were afar from reality as you were deeply lost in thought. Naturally he was less to believe something has been troubling you for awhile as he slept and he sat himself up against the headboard. “Y/n?” He said softly, knowing that by this time of day Ted was potentially making a mess out of your kitchen in an attempt of making you all tea. Another reasoning behind his choice in tone was that Jack didn’t want to alert his friend by raising his voice by raising his voice above a certain volume.Ted’s intentions towards many things were pure but due to his hulking mass of foliage and fungi, Ted was susceptible to causing accidental damage of his surroundings.

“Y/n.” Jack tired once again, this time making his voice loud enough to draw you back to the reality of your shared bedroom. “Nice to see that sleeping beauty has finally awakened.” You joked, going into press a kiss to his forehead only for him to move away, causing a twinge of pain in your chest. “Jack?” You asked, pulling away, rummaging through your head of what you had done in recent memory to earn that type of reaction. “What’s wrong?” You were worried that Jack had finally came to his sense and realised that you weren’t compatible with him and that he was going to admit in falling out of love with you. “I think I should be asking you that question,” Jack reached a hand to hold your cheek, stroking his thumb against the skin there almost reassuringly, “what’s wrong, you seem to be getting more and more lost in your thoughts nowadays. Let me help, you trust me right?”

“Of course I trust you Jack!” You cried, “I just…” your voice quietened gradually, “it’s…it’s stupid. Nothing worth you loosing sleep over.” Hurt by your hesitance to open up about your issues, Jack felt as though he wasn’t doing right by you as your partner in tackling your problems together and genuinely believed for the briefest of moments that you were falling out of love with him. “If it’s hurting you then it isn’t stupid, I’d rather lose all the sleep I could possibly get if it meant lifting the burden from your shoulders.” He says, resting his forehead against your own, closing his eyes, “when we entered a relationship together we agreed that whatever adversity we face, we face together. So let me fight by your side and rid you of your inner demons. For seeing you suffering in silence breaks my heart.” You brought your hands to hold his face, pushing your forehead against his own as you felt tears well behind your eyes.

“You deserve so much better then me Jack.” You finally admitted, not looking at him in fear of gauging his reaction, “I’m unworthy of being your friend never less your lover; Your soul is so full of light that I fear that one day I would only dampens it into extinction. I fear that one day you’d wake up and realise truth within my words and start looking elsewhere for someone who would look perfect right by your side, realise that in the end I wasn’t anything special.” Jack’s eyes seemed to shine with hurt and disbelief at your words that it only made you hate yourself even more if that was even possible. How could you dump your troubles onto the most genuine man you’ve been met, what gave you the privilege to do that to Jack? God you were so fucking selfish that you were borderline crying for reassurance that you didn’t fully deserve.

Jack didn’t want to believe what he was hearing. It felt wrong hearing such venom come from your mouth and aimed at yourself because to Jack every single word was absolutely false. The demons within your head was plaguing you and he couldn’t do anything about it. Jack knew it was near impossible for him to convey his every emotion through words, seeing as they’d only get him so far without gradually starting to sound repetitive and insincere. It frustrates him greatly that he didn’t take the signs he was seeing and piecing them together to see the full picture. How could he see so clearly yet after so blindsided.

“I don’t like it when you say things like that. To me,” Jack removed his hand from your cheek to lift your chin so that you were staring him in the eye, “you’re perfect. You truly don’t understand the extent of my feelings for you and I don’t think I do either as I find it difficult to even find the words to describe how you make me feel. In my eyes, you brighten up every room you’ve walked into, your eyes shine as though god plucked two of the brightest stars in the sky and placed them there. In my eyes, no one has a laugh as beautiful or as infectious as yours, no one has a heart as unique.” Jack placed a kiss to your cheeks, wiping away the tears there in the process as he smiled lovingly at you when he pulls away. “You wanna know why?” “Why?” You asked, desperate to know his innermost thoughts about you. However instead of words, Jack pressed a chaste kiss against your lips, pulling away just as you were about to reciprocate, “I love you so very much.”

Lost within your little moment, neither of you noticed Ted standing on the doorway of your room with two cutesy cups of tea within his significantly larger hands, not wanting to interrupt the scene before him but also not sure how to inform either of you that the tea was going to go cold.

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